• Specific fuel consumption (SFC):

– Is defined as the amount of fuel consumed by an engine to produce unit power

– It is expressed in kg/MJ or kg/kW-hr.

• Indicated power (IP):

– It is the power produced inside the cylinder and calculated by finding the actual
mean effective pressure.
– Mean effective pressure is found as
– Pm= (s*a)/ l
• Where s -- spring value of the spring used in the indicator
• l – base width of the indicator diagram
• a – area of the actual indicator diagram
 Indicated power of a 4 stroke engine

• Indicated power of a 4 stroke engine

Let
– Pm= mean effective pressure
– L = length of stroke
– A = area of cross section of the cylinder
– N = rpm of the crank shaft
– n = number of cycles per min

Work produced by Mean force acting Piston displacement

piston per stroke / = on piston
X in one stroke
Per cycle
= Pm A * L

= Pm A L
 Work produced by
piston per stroke / Per cycle = Pm A L

Work produced by Work produced by X Number of cycles

piston per min = piston per stroke / Per cycle

= Pm A L * n

In 4 stroke I c engine one cycle will be completed in two revolutions of the crank Shaft.

Therefore the number of cycles per min will be equal to half the number of revolutions per min

I.e.., n = N/2 Work produced by

piston per min = Pm A L N/2 Nm/min
 Work produced by
Indicated power = piston per sec = (Pm A L N)/2 Nm/sec

Indicated power = (Pm A L N)/2 joules/ sec or Watt

Indicated power of 2 stroke engine

In 2 stroke engine one cycle will be covered in every revolution of the crank shaft

Therefore number of cycles per minute will be equal to number of revolutions per min

Indicated power = (Pm A L n) joules/ sec or Watt

 Brake power

• Certain fraction of indicated power produced inside the cylinder will be lost
due to friction of the moving parts.
• Power at crank shaft is measured by applying brake and therefore called
brake power

Net power available = indicated power – power lost due to friction

at crank shaft
 Brake power

• Let
• W = net load acting on the brake drum (in kg)
• R = radius of the brake drum (in mt)
• N = rpm of crank shaft
• T= torque applied due to net load W on brake drum
= W * R (in kg-m)
= W * g * R ( in N-m)

Brake power = ( 2 π N T) / 60 ( in Watt)

 Mechanical efficiency

• It is the efficiency of the moving parts of the mechanism transmitting the

indicated power to the crank shaft.
• It is defined as the ratio of the brake power and the indicated power.

• ηm = Brake power * 100

Indicated power

• ηm = (Indicated power – Friction power) * 100

Indicated power
 Thermal efficiency

• It is the efficiency of conversion of the heat energy produced by the

combustion of the fuel into the power output of the engine.

• ηth = power output * 100

heat energy supplied by the fuel
The power output to be used in the above equation may be brake power or
indicated power

Brake thermal efficiency ηB th = Brake power * 100

heat energy supplied by the fuel

= ___BP * 100
CV * m

η I th = Indicated power *
Indicated thermal efficiency
100 heat energy supplied by the fuel

= ___IP * 100
CV * m

• Where CV = calorific value of the fuel

m = mass of the fuel supplied.
 Problem 1

A single cylinder two stroke cycle IC engine has a piston diameter 110 mm
and stroke length 150 mm. The mean effective pressure is 6 bar. If the
crank shaft speed is 1500 rpm, calculate the indicated power of the engine.
Data given: D = 110 mm
L =150 mm Pm= 6 bar , N=1500 rpm n=N
(since 2 stroke)

Solution: IP = Pm LAN / 60

IP = 6 x105 x 0.15 x 3.14 x 0.112 x 1500 / 60 x 4

IP = 21.38 KW
2.The following observations were recorded during a test on a 4-stroke engine.

Bore = 25cm, stroke=40cm,

125 cycles/min,

net load on the brake drum=700N, diameter of brake drum=2m,

indicated mean effective pressure=6bar,

fuel consumption=0.0013kg/s,

calorific value of fuel=43900kJ/kg.

Determine (i) BP, (ii) IP, (iii) FP, and (iv) mechanical efficiency (v) indicated and brake

thermal efficiency.
Given data:
d = 250 mm = 0.25 mt
L = 400 mm = 0.4 mt
n = 125 cycles/sec=N/2 for a 4 stroke N = 250 rpm
(W – s) = 700 N
D=2m
Pm = 6 bar = 600 kPa
mf = 0.0013 kg/sec
CV= 43900 kJ/kg.
 2 π x 250 x 700
BP = —————— = 18.32 kW
60 x 1000

600 x 0.4 x 0.049x 125

IP = ——————————— = 24.54 kW
60
FP = IP – BP
FP = 24.54-18.32 = 6.22 kW

BP 18.32
ηmech = —— = ——— =0.7465 or 74.65%
IP 24.54

IP 24.54
ηind thermal = ———— = —————— = 0.4299 or 42.99%
mf x CV 0.0013x43900

BP 18.32
ηbrake thermal = ———— = —————— = 0.321 or 32.1%
mf x CV 0.0013x43900
3. A four-cylinder two-stroke petrol engine develops 30kW at 2500 rpm. The mean effective

pressure on each piston is 6bar, and mechanical efficiency is 80%. Calculate the diameter and

stroke of each cylinder, stroke to bore ratio is 1.5. Also calculate the fuel consumption if brake

thermal efficiency is 28%. The calorific value of fuel is 43900 kJ/kg.

Given data : i = 4 cylinders
BP = 30 kW
N = 2500 for a 2 stroke engine n = 2500 cycles / min
Pm = 6 bar
CV= 43900 KJ/Kg.
ηmech = 80 % = 0.8
d / D = 1.5
ηbrake thermal = 28 % = 0.28
 BP BP 30
i) ηmech = —— IP = —— = —— = 37.5 kW
IP ηmech 0.8

IP = 37.5 kW
kW
ii) iPm LAN l = 1.5 d
IP = ———— kW i = Number of cylinders
60 A = (πd2 ) / 4

4 x 600 x 1.5 d x (π d2 / 4 ) x 2500

= ————————————————
60
d = 0.062 mt = 62 mm
l = 1.5 x d = 1.5 x 62 = 93 mm
 BP
ηbrake thermal = ————
mf x CV

BP 30
mf = ———————— = —————— = 2.44 x 10-3 kg / sec
ηbrake thermal x CV 0.28 x 43900

mf = 2.44 x 10-3 x 3600 kg / hr

5. The power of an IC engine is measured by a rope brake

dynamometer. The diameter of the brake drum pulley is 700mm and

rope diameter is 50mm. The load on the light side of the rope is 50kg

mass and spring balance reads 50N. The engine running at 3m/sec,

stroke length 50mm and consumes fuel calorific value 44000 kJ/kg at

a rate of 0.3 liter/min. Specific gravity=0.78.

Calculate i)BSFC ii) BTE

Torque calculation= Load/force X Radius
Load= (rope load- spring load)
Radius= (diameter of the pulley+ diameter of the rope)/2
T=(50*9.81-50)*(0.7+0.05)/2= 165.18 N-m
Speed calculation:
Velocity= 2*stroke length*Rotation per second
N=V/(2*L)=30 rps

BP= 2*Π*T*N= 31.20 kW

Conversion of liter into kg: 1 liter= 10-3 m3

Specific gravity= Density of given fuel/ Density of water

Spring load

Fuel flow rate mf= 0.3* 10-3* *780/60 kg/sec= 0.0039 kg/sec
rope side load
BSFC= BP/mf= (0.0039/31.2)*3600 kg/kW-Hr
BSFC=0.45 kg/kW-Hr

BTE= BP/(mf*CV)

BTE= 31.2/(0.0039*44000)=18.18%
 Problem 4

• The following observations were obtained

during a trial on a 4 stroke diesel engine.

Find
• Cylinder dia = 30 cm 1. Brake power
• Stroke of the piston = 50 cm 2. Indicated power
• Crank shaft speed = 300 rpm 3. Friction power
4. Mechanical efficiency
• Brake load = 70 kg 5. Brake thermal efficiency
• Brake drum dia = 1.5 m 6. Indicated thermal efficiency
• Mean effective pressure = 5.5 bar
• Diesel oil consumption = 0.1 m3/ min
• Specific gravity of the diesel = 0.78
• C.v. of diesel = 43900 kj/kg
• Solution:

• 1. Brake power
– Torque = w * R =
– BP = 2πNT / 60 =
• 2. Indicated power = IP = PmALN / 60
• 3. Friction power = IP – BP
• 4. ηm= BP/IP
• 5. ηB-th =BP/ cv x m
• 6. ηI –th = IP / cv x m